Property

19/03/03 - Property news section

'We moved to escape the noise'

By Anthea Masey

Evening Standard

Peet Hahn makes hats and decorative hangings from felt, and her husband, Carl, makes chunky furniture and sculptures that are sold in trendy Notting Hill shops such as Themes and Variations.

Five years ago the couple and their two children, Lewis and Ejan, swapped a live/work space in Kennington for a farm with lots of outbuildings and 80 acres of land in south Devon. "We moved to get away from the noise and population of London, and because we wanted more outdoor space in which to work," says Peet.

The couple have no regrets and, even though Lewis and Ejan were teenagers when the family made the move, they too have adapted well to the change. Whereas in London their lives were ruled by the Northern line, here in Devon, it is the bus timetable. The family are thriving.

"It did take time to develop new markets for our work," says Peet. "People used to just pop into our workshop in Kennington and see what we were up to. Now we do a lot of craft fairs and we show in the local craft galleries instead."

Unlike a lot of townies, who would have simply rented out their land to a local farmer, Peet and Carl have taken a much more active interest. "Our land is in Defra's [Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs] Stewardship scheme, which is designed to increase biodiversity and reduce the environmental impact of farming," Peet says.

"We have planted over 1,000 metres of new hedge and to avoid over-farming our land we rent it out by head of sheep and cattle rather than acreage."

For further information about Carl Hahn's furniture, visit www.carlhahn.com.

Find this story at
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/homes/news/articles/3890752?version=1
©2003 Associated New Media

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